I'm new to the TG aspect of the business and would like to introduce the concept to local schools, my town's board of education (I have a connection), in addition to multiple friends who are educators. I don't own a TG nor do I know much about it. Where would be a good place to start learning? And how would you recommend going about introducing the product?

Tower Talk is a great start. You can also go to Towergarden.com. There is so much information and videos to watch. Speak with your upline and see if your team has any TG gurus. Don't forget to tell them about the lesson plans available right here on Tower Talk.

hciancioso is right. The best way to learn is to own one and grow - indoors. A few years ago, I sold several Tower Gardens to our local school system. I had breakfast with the superintendent of the system and he ran with the idea, getting principals and teachers on board. It helped that we have a local foundation fund the Towers that's very interested in teaching kids healthy eating habits.

Once the Towers arrived, I ran a training class for the teachers and have answered lots of questions. I've been in the classrooms teaching kids how to plant seeds and helping to make sure they run well. There's talk now of purchasing more Towers for other classrooms.

Here are my thoughts..

1) Buy a Tower Garden and get good at growing lettuce indoors. Most schools are going to grow inside, so you'll need to learn how to grow indoors. I recommend lettuce because in about 6 weeks kids can go from seed to harvest.

2) Find funding. I talked with our local foundation to see if they'd fund the Towers before I approached the superintendent.

3) Talk to your connections and try to get them to see a Tower Garden that's growing well. I talked with our local homeless shelter about purchasing TG's. The director said he didn't have enough room until he saw one in his daughter's classroom. He then found room for two Towers.

4) If there's interest, but not enough to purchase yet, offer to grow with yours in a classroom to show them how it's done.

5) Be ready to support. It takes a lot of time to answer questions and follow up with the sale.

6) Be patient. School staff are busy people and the wheels can move slowly.

7) Be persistent, but not obnoxious. A 'No' today, may turn into a 'Maybe' next year. I contacted a principal in another school district last fall. He said he wasn't ready to start a project, but check back next year. I left him alone until a week ago when I emailed him again. We met today and he has a teacher who likes gardening that he's going to check to see if she's interested.

Every town and school system is different. What worked in my situation may not work in yours. But it is consistent that the better you know the Tower Garden system, the better you'll be able to sell it and support it after the sale.

Thank you! Unfortunately, I live in a small place with no outside access and do not have the space to purchase. However, I am taking the steps to become more knowledgeable. Thank you very much for all your valuable insight. It is greatly appreciated!

Is there anyone near you with a Tower Garden? I started out learning how to tend a Tower Garden because my upline purchased one and put it in a local cafe where she let me take care of it.

If growing on a Tower Garden isn't possible, then the next best thing would be to purchase rockwool and get good at starting plants from seeds. I've posted a seed starting procedure here... Seed Starting Procedure | TGardener It has info on inexpensive light bulbs and fixtures that can be purchased at a local store since you won't have TG lights to use.

Good seeds to start with are arugula, black seeded simpson, red salad bowl, buttercrunch, and kale. These sprout quickly and are ready to harvest in as little as 6 weeks. This time-frame works well in a school classroom.

It might seem like a waste to grow plants, then just throw them away, but you'll be learning along the way. Depending on the climate where you live, you might have a friend with an outdoor garden who can plant the seedlings. I have a tomato plant along the side of my house that I started in the Tower Garden. I pulled it out of the Tower and planted it in the soil next to my house while still in the rockwool and it's doing great.

I had one privately donated by a member of the town council to a teacher at a local school and we even got in the paper about it. Since then I put one in another district's school (tower donated) and also a private nursery school which the owner purchased. I am currently working on raising funds on three for another school that has complete support from the school board but limited funds. Already we've raised half through community outreach and fundraisers. The teacher also applied for a grant as well. They must have three for the three different teams or the PTO will not maintain ( buying minerals.) I also have two towers surrendered by a woman who is moving and they will be donated to schools but the schools will need to purchase the lights and minerals. The first thing to do is approach the principal and sit down with him/her. Our local principal is very health conscious and was on board immediately. The key is also getting the teachers on board, many are overworked and do not want to take on "another project." Personally I offered to not only get them the towers and donate commission, but offered to volunteer time to set up and get the kids planting. I donate commission because I want to make sure they know that I am NOT in this for the $. A distributer doesn't have to do this though. At the first school this was all that was needed and the teacher took over. Salad Days were held on week 6 and every other week after and I was happy to be invited to them. Salad day promoted sharing as the kids brought in their own toppings. I post a lot about it on my personal instagram (green_jp_mama) and facebook page (my full name.)